SIT: OUR
RESTFUL POSITION IN CHRIST
(A
Three-way Process of Christian Maturity)
Ephesians 2:1-10
Introduction:
This past Monday I had a Quiet retreat at St. Joseph Retreat House in Milton.
For the past several years it has become my practice that once in four months I
would make time for such Quiet Retreats. I typically get to the retreat center
around 10:00 A.M, after getting into my room, I will turn off my cellphone, sit
at the table and quietly go over my prayer journal and reflect on what I wrote,
last time when I was there. Silence and quietness are so palpable in that room,
all I could hear is the clicking of my watch, my breath and my racing thoughts.
After sometime, I settle down, sit
back in a comfortable chair and read a book and reflect. The world around me
may be racing, but here I am in the presence of God sitting all by myself, away
from my family, home, ministry and Hope Church, but never too far from my
loving heavenly father. I could feel his presence ever so warmly filling my
heart. I hear his gentle and still small voice whispering in my ears saying, “I
love you my son, I am pleased that you could take time to honor me by being with
me on this day.”
Whatever I do that day all is done
quietly, without talking, singing, and even praying out loud, but all along
being made aware of His ever-abiding presence. By the end of the day, I am
refreshed, renewed in my faith, re-charged and ready to get back into a world
that seems to spin out of control. God is calling his children to come away, sit
at his feet and rest for a while.
But you may say, I am busy where do
I find time? You are right, you can never find time to be alone with God, there
is always something urgent to do. We spent all our energy trying to take care
of the urgent while sacrificing the important. At the end of the day what
really matters is your relationship with God and your relationship with your
family if you have one. What are you doing to nurture those two most important
relationships in your life?
We have been studying the book of
Ephesians. The apostle Paul after unveiling to the believers their eternal
riches in Christ, and affirming the hope of their calling, goes onto introduce a
process of Christian Maturity. In order to expound this process, I will be
sharing three key factors from an old book, “Sit Walk Stand” by Watchman Nee in
the 50s’ based on the book of Ephesians. These three words, “Sit, Walk and
Stand” clearly show us the way to victory in this life and for eternity. The
first word, “SIT” talks about our restful position in Christ.
Before we get to our key thought, here
are few other truths from chapter 2: Understanding our depraved past helps us
appreciate our present, and future glorious inheritance. We were dead
because of our offenses and sins. We were travelling on the broad of
destruction, keeping up in step with the world and following the ruler of the
kingdom of the air.
Because of his great love, rich mercy and
unlimited grace we are alive in Christ. This work of salvation is not
by works so that no one can boast. God has reconciled all people to Himself
through Christ’s blood shed on the cross. This reconciliation is twofold: The
reconciliation of all people to Himself and the reconciliation of all people to
one another by means of a new entity called the Church or Christ’s body. He
brought this reconciliation by destroying the dividing wall of hostility which existed
between the Jews and the Gentiles.
What do we know about this dividing
wall of hostility? Gentiles were allowed
to enter the outer temple enclosure in Jerusalem. This outer court was also
called the court of the Gentiles. They were physically prevented access to the
inner courts of the temple by 4.5-foot-high barrier (this is Paul’s dividing
wall of hostility in Eph 2:14). The Jewish historian Josephus pointed that 13
stone slabs with writing in both Greek and Latin were placed at intervals on
the barrier warning Gentiles not to enter (Do not Enter Signs).
The inscription notes, “no foreigner
should go within the sanctuary.” The Archeologists have discovered two of these
warning slabs which state, “No foreigner is allowed to enter within the railing
surrounding the sanctuary and the court enclosed. Whoever is caught will be
personally responsible for his ensuing death.” Can you imagine what fear that
must have instilled in the Gentile worshippers?
Paul, narrowly escaped death, for reportedly bringing a Gentile into the
inner court of the temple. (Acts 21:27-31).
Paul and other Jewish followers of
Christ recognized that the God who had previously resided in the temple had now
entered humanity in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus’ death on the cross
and his resurrection had in effect broken down the dividing wall of hostility,
effecting spiritual unity between Jews and Gentiles. As a result, Paul knew all
people now have been granted access to God through their saving faith in Jesus
Christ.[1]
When you believe in Christ, and
accept his gift of salvation, it doesn’t really matter who you are, where you
are from, or your skin color, the language you speak, you now belong to the
family of God. However, the irony is when Christ could break down the dividing
wall of hostility we have certain people, including Christians who would rather
see walls built up to alienate and divide people one from another. We need to
ask ourselves, is it the will of God?
Listen to the prayer of Jesus, John
17:20-23, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just
as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that you have sent me.” More can be said on these themes. For now,
let’s move to our key thought, Vs, 6: “He raised us up with him, and made us
sit with him in the heavenly places in King Jesus! What does it mean that we
are seated with Christ in the heavenly places?
I.
SIT: OUR RESTFUL POSITION IN CHRIST
In
order to understand it, we will read the following scriptures together. “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ…raised him from the
dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.”
(Ephesians 1:17-21) ASV
“And raised us up with him, and
made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: … for
by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory.” (Ephesians 2:6-9) ASV
Notice these two phrases: “God…made
him to sit, and made us to sit.” Let’s consider the implications of the word
“sit” It reveals the secret of a heavenly life. Christian life does not begin
with walking; it begins with sitting. The Christian era began with Christ, of
whom we are told in Hebrews 1:3 “he had made purification of sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high.” With same equal truth we can say that
Christian’s life begins, “In Christ.”
That is to say, when by faith when we see ourselves seated with Christ
in the heavenly places.
Most of us make the mistake of
trying to walk in order to be able to sit, but it is reversal to the biblical
truth. Our natural reason says, if we do not walk, how can we ever reach the
goal? What can we attain without effort? How can we ever get anywhere if we do
not move?
But Christianity is contrary to the
world’s wisdom. In this world, everything is about “doing.” Christianity begins
not with a big DO, but with a big Done and with “being, before doing.” That’s
why Paul opens up his letter with this statement, “God has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Eph 1:3), and we are invited
to sit down and enjoy what God has already done for us and not to set out to
try and attain it for ourselves.
Walking implies effort and work,
whereas God says, we are saved, not by works, but by grace through faith in
Christ, which means resting in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. Christian
life from start to the finish is based upon this principle of utter dependency
upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, “I am the vine; you are the
branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Watchman
Nee explains, “Sitting is an attitude of rest. Some thing has been finished,
work stops and we sit. It is paradoxical, but true, that we only advance in the
Kingdom of God as we learn first of all to sit down. What does it really mean
to sit down? When we walk, or stand we
carry the weight of our own body on our legs, but when we sit down, our entire
weight rests upon the chair on which we sit.
We grow weary and tired when we walk or run, but when we sit down for a
while we feel rested, because the strain no longer falls upon our muscles and
nerves, but upon something outside of ourselves.” This is how it works in the
spiritual realm as well.
We
are seated with Christ means, to rest our whole weight, our load, our burdens,
ourselves and our future, everything upon the Lord. We let Him bear the
responsibility and cease to carry it ourselves. Jesus is inviting the weary and
burdened to come to Him and find rest. Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Some
of you perhaps are overwhelmed and burdened by the challenges at work and at
home. If you are in that position you need to hear our savior’s invitation to
come and learn from him and find rest to your soul. Resting in the Lord has
always been God’s principle of maturity.
For instance, in the creation story God
worked from the first day to sixth day when everything is done he rested on the
seventh day from all his work. God ceased to work on the seventh day.
The
seventh day became the sabbath of God; it was God’s rest. How about Adam? He was created on the sixth day, he had no
part in all what God has created in those first six days. God’s seventh day was
in fact Adam’s first day. Whereas God
worked six days and then enjoyed His sabbath rest, Adam began his life with the
sabbath, for God works before He rests, while man must first enter into God’s
rest, and then alone can he work.
That
is why it is so important that we honor Sunday, the Lord’s day, a day of rest.
When we come to Church on Sunday, to worship Him, to rest in His presence, to
study and listen to His life-giving Word, to fellowship with our brothers and
sisters, hopefully by the end of our time we feel refreshed, then we go home
and cease from work and rest some more. When Monday comes we are ready to face
the challenges of the week with grace and renewed strength from God.
Unlike
in many countries, in our country the sabbath, the Lord’s day, for us Christians
Sunday, has come under great attack. Throughout the week many force themselves
to work very hard, so that they can make more money, while others are forced to
work two or three jobs. Some even work seven days a week. When Sunday comes,
especially young families are busy taking their children to sports and other
entertainment. America runs on Dunkin! No wonder why we constantly feel
fatigued, and restless, because we are not slowing down to rest.
In
Hebrews 4:9-11, we read, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people
of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as
God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one
may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” We are made to sit with Christ in
the heavenly places means, we believe and rest in the finished work of Christ
on the cross. We are consciously laying down all our burdens upon Him, entering
into his rest by sitting in His presence, when we do that we are refreshed and strengthened
by the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish all that He has called us to do
on this earth. Amen!
